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A Pause for IndyCar Champ Dan Wheldon

It’s always difficult to choose a topic after such an intense weekend of auto-related news and events. Unfortunately, the biggest news this weekend was the tragic death of IndyCar champion Dan Wheldon, who died in a massive accident yesterday during the Las Vegas Indy 300.

It makes other news and developments feel trivial, so I’d like to devote this post to the 16-time IndyCar race winner, 2003 rookie of the year and two-time winner of the Indianapolis 500. Dan Wheldon was among the most talented drivers in motorsports.

IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard issued a statement after the race saying that IndyCar “is very sad to announce that Dan Wheldon has passed away from unsurvivable injuries.” The race was stopped, but drivers chose to salute Wheldon with a five-lap run in his honor.

The 15-car wreck in Las Vegas raises the question of whether racing has simply gotten too fast and too dangerous. Drivers were hitting speeds in excess of 225 mph during practice, speeds that are unsafe no matter what car is involved. As of this moment it’s hard to understand how pushing the limits of speed is worth human life.